FIVE hectares of green field land have been earmarked for a potential 150-home development.
The early stages of a planning application have been submitted to North East Lincolnshire Council for land on Humberston Road, Grimsby, close to Love Lane Corner roundabout.
At this stage the application is for "screening opinion" to determine whether an environmental impact assessment is needed on the land.
But the Grimsby Telegraph has learned that this is in preparation for a potential 150 mixed-home development and an application could be submitted to NELC in three months.
It would be the latest in a string of plans for building on green field sites in the area.
Developer Ian Hutchinson, of Kirton Consulting Ltd, confirmed they have been in discussions with the council's planning department for some time.
He said: "There has been discussions about it with the council, therefore this is the first formal step in the planning process. We have done a lot of background work, a fielding assessment and other studies of the land and everything is looking good so far.
"There has been a strong possibility this land would be used for development for some time."
The land backs on to the affluent Vaughan Avenue and joins the Villa Plantation, which stretches to Weelsby Woods. It has been earmarked for development for a few years after it was bought by five local builders.
Residents of Vaughan Avenue accepted the potential for development but feel 150 homes is too many and hope plans will be stopped before they start.
Marjorie Mackalam, who owns the field next to the land, said: "I have lived here for 40 years and I have known someone would apply for planning permission eventually, especially when it was sold to those builders. I wouldn't say I am happy about it. It will alter the whole feel of the place. It is lovely here, like living in the countryside.
"They haven't maintained the field so now it is a bit of an eyesore – it makes me wonder if they have left it that way so they can say a housing estate will look better."
Her daughter, Jane, is also concerned the development will increase traffic to the area, which is already busy at peak times of the day.
She said: "It is already quite dangerous, especially with the new builds on Villa Court. There is a turning from there, a turning to come down here and a roundabout at the end. People don't know where people are going half the time and if this goes ahead, that is only going to get worse.
"I think 150 crammed into one little place is too much."
Neighbour Tony Bell is not against the development, but only if it takes into consideration the residents who already live nearby and the potential people who will move in.
He said: "I have no objections to a development on there but it must be good quality housing. Developers should not put as many houses as they can per acre at the detriment to the local community and residents that are going to live there. A lot of care should be taken in terms of the design."
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said: "That is a huge shame. The reason we moved here is because we thought we were all right for many years yet.
"We love the greenery and the open space. All that will be gone."
This proposal is one of several large developments planned in the Humberston and New Waltham area.
As reported, Keystone Developments want to build 400 in Humberston Avenue, a further 400 homes are earmarked for nearby Millennium Park and there is potential for 110 to be built on the old Humberston Park golf course.
Are we building and planning too many houses? Will they be affordable and should we be looking at brown field sites?
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